Terminator: The Time War
by tightspeed
Summary: Seasons 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. I intend to cover a lot of ground with this. Seasonal villains. Skynet is the end goal, but there are roadblocks along the way. Familiar faces will return, and John will face a harder fight than any he has faced throughout the timelines. The story will feature "Jameron" or whatever silly name you want to apply, but it will be slow. The focus is the plot.
1. Season 3: Episode 1

Hello. I'm a huge fan of TSCC and Firefly. I like the idea of writing but I have always been a bit scared to really present my fiction on any kind of platform. I tried writing a TSCC story a few months ago but after one short chapter I found I didn't really have a lot of ideas for where it could go. This time, I am fully committed to the story. As soon as this is uploaded I will be commencing work on my next chapter, or episode as I am calling them. Everyone and their grandmother has written a "Season 3" of some kind. I'm going to be doing that of course, but I wanted to do some extras along the way. The idea is that Skynet and the Future War will be the end goal, likely around the theoretical "Season 7" mark. Until then, there will be a different main villain for each section of the story. I want to really explore the series' potential regarding time-travel. For example, season 5 could end up with a Sarah Connor from a different time-line as the main villain, after being raised to fight for Skynet. I don't wanna get too crazy, but hopefully you will find the idea entertaining. I hope you stick along for the ride.

Also, there will be "Jameron" or whatever cheesy name you want to apply. Not yet though. I don't want this story to be like some others, where suddenly Skynet takes a back seat while John and Cameron go to the movies and ignore the extinction event looming over them. I'm not going to make Cameron human for the sake of it being easier to write either. I think part of Cameron's charm were the personality traits she had because of her mechanical nature, and I definitely disapprove of them being thrown under the bus to write what is effectively a romcom. Hopefully, I will keep things in character, as far as much understanding of the character goes. The only deviations made will be the ones necessary for a character from a different timeline.

Sincerely, thank you for reading. Enjoy.

 **Season 3**

Episode 1

John Connor lay in his bunk awaiting orders. Tonight was going to be his third mission with the Resistance that had formed in this time – the year 2027. John hadn't had much time to adjust. Suspicions of him being a Terminator were cleared almost as quickly as they formed, thanks to his unknowing Uncle Derek Reese, but there was still lingering uncertainty about a well-nourished, healthy soldier that nobody recognised appearing. John's knowledge of the machines both helped and hurt his case. On the one hand, John was able to give the Resistance leaders of this timeline a few tips on dealing with the "new" T-1000 prototypes that Skynet had recently deployed. That certainly helped him gain some favour. On the other, his in-depth knowledge of a machine that was relatively new only made some more suspicious that he could be a Grey, sent by Skynet to infiltrate the camp and gather knowledge about the inner workings of the Resistance.

 _Sigh_

John let out a long yawn. The current time was 21:34 according to an old Nokia brick phone he looted whilst on a mission. The next attack would be at 23:00. Always best to attack during the night when the HKs struggle to sense targets. _Maybe this time I can find something on Cameron._

The attack was against a factory. John had personally requested to be sent on every factory assault because that's where he figured he would be most likely to find John Henry. He wants to learn about his brother and find more like him. Where better than the source of the machines? I find him, I find Cameron. Then I can figure a way out of this hellhole.

The door creaked open to reveal a girl looking down at John, about his age in-fact. _Cameron!_

"General Reese told me to bring you some fresh food. Said you haven't eaten today." She sounded just like her too.

"Which Reese?"

"Derek. He's General Reese. Kyle is the blonde one. He's Lieutenant Reese. You should learn how the ranking systems work if you want people to take you seriously around here." A voice so distant, yet so familiar.

"Tell General Reese I appreciate it." John tried his hardest not to stare at her face. He knew who she was, of course. It didn't take a genius to figure out that this human girl in the year 2027 was Allison Young, the one Cameron's living tissue sheathe was based off.

"Sure." She smiled and turned to leave.

"W-wait." John said hurriedly, probably making himself seem desperate but in fairness he'd only actually spoken to three girls his age throughout his life.

Allison looked back. "Huh? What's up?"

"Oh, uh, nothing. I just forgot to thank you as well… You did bring the food after all."

"Ha, I dunno if you're gonna be thanking me once you actually taste it." She said with a playful grin. "It's the night-time scraps. I managed to salvage some potatoes for you, but the rest is just whatever parts of the rat people weren't starving enough to eat."

John composed himself and spoke fast to distract himself from that disgusting little piece of reality.

"Well, I appreciate it anyway. You want some?" He offered a potato forward.

Allison looked at him and decided, figuring he was the only other person here younger than twenty years old, she was may as well humour him. He seemed interesting at least, and it's not like she had anything else to do for ninety minutes. "No thanks." John looked embarrassed and put his hand down. "I'd like to stay and talk though."

"Of course." John started shuffling some equipment off the bunk to make space for her.

John wasn't sure why he wanted her to stay. Obviously, he was as attracted to her as we was to Cameron. They were practically identical, but at this point it felt more like he just needed a friend. Stranded across time looking for a computer chip which may or may not be fully capable of experiencing human emotions… John leaned more on the positive side of that argument, having seen enough of Uncle Bob and Cameron to convince him. Others, especially in this time, might be harder to convince, although he was confident it would never come to that. As far as he was concerned, he would act the part of a good soldier until he either got killed or found what he needed. Then he would track down Weaver and go home.

"So, where are you from?" Allison broke the ice, barely.

"LA, sort of. I lived all over as a kid. Nicaragua, El Paso, California…"

"Yeah, nuclear apocalypse tends to have people moving around a bit." Allison spoke with a tinge of humour in her voice.

"Uh, yeah. J-Day really sent us through the loop. What about you?"

"California. Palmdale to be exact. Never knew my folks though, but my sort-of parents said it used to be beautiful." Allison spoke fondly, like she remembered it herself.

"Oh, where are they now?" John realised his mistake as soon as he said it and froze up.

Allison giggled in response. "Don't worry John, you don't have to walk on eggshells. I've been living with soldiers for ten years." John was shocked at how well Skynet had managed to copy her facial expressions and mannerisms when they created Cameron. Allison reminded him greatly of how Cameron was when he first met her in New Mexico… "Sarah was great. She was a bit of a hard-ass, but she gave us a lot of skills we needed to fight the machines. It was almost like she knew J-Day was coming honestly. She always gave us new last names and conditioned us to wake up and be ready to fight on a moment's notice in-case of a machine attack."

 _That sounds awfully familiar. So Mom kept the fight against Skynet going as long as she could and tracked down Allison, but why?_

"My sort-of Dad was James. He disappeared during the night a few years ago, around the same time the Resistance found us. There was a different leader in charge back then, Derek was still way too young to lead anybody."

 _James?_... If John's suspicions were correct, this "James" was Ellison. _Why would he disappear like that?_

John refocused. "Yeah Derek seems like he's doing a good job at the moment." John lied. Derek was one of the most effective soldiers he had ever met, but this future was bleak. The "Resistance" in this time never had John Connor himself to lead after he left 2009. John resolved to get back to 2009 and make sure the future never got this dark. John doubted many could have held things together as well as Derek, but that just highlighted the importance of him fulfilling the destiny his mother fought for – If he didn't champion humanity against Skynet, who would? Who could?

"Uh, listen. Assault teams for tonight's mission are travelling in groups of three, right? You got any space? New guy doesn't get a lot of offers." Sad but true. It seemed one of this Resistance's major weak-points tactically was a lack of structure. Derek was the leader. Kyle was the second. But what then? It was a jumbled mess with people not being entirely sure who they answer to. It would work for a small group like this, a few hundred fighters here in LA, but in a true Resistance like the one John was destined to lead there would be millions of fighters, and a chain of command would be of dire importance against an enemy with machine coordination.

"Yeah we can take you. Honestly, I kind of know how you feel. Young girl in a camp full of thirty something year old guys means my options are limited if I don't want some handsy sleezeball trying to make excuses for us to strip. Just me and Derek so far, but I'll see if the 'big, bad General' will let you come."

"Thanks a lot." John suddenly felt a lot more secure, having a friend. "What tells you I'm not some 'handsy sleezeball'?" John said with a tone that mockingly mimicked hers.

Allison raised an eyebrow "Well, you've been actively avoiding eye-contact with me this whole time, where as the other guys make excuses to look at my ass whenever Derek isn't around. But if I'm wrong, I'm sure I can find you a spot in Bulk and Skull's group…"

"No! No need for that." The words left John's mouth quicker than he knew he was capable of. Bulk and Skull were known to be the two worst soldiers in the camp. Two bumbling buffoons that miraculously survived every confrontation they had with a machine so far because of some last-minute interference from a stray plasma bolt or missile.

"That's what I thought!", Allison said, clearly amused with herself. "Better finish your food though or Derek might Daddy up on you for disobeying a direct order to eat. Or worse, he'll send Kyle…"

 _Ha, Kyle Reese treating me like a disobedient kid in the future of a completely different timeline How weird would that be?_

John got so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed Allison leave. _Christ, maybe Skynet learned a thing or two about stealth from her._

John looked to his Nokia – 22:20.

 _Uh-oh, better hurry up and be ready for when we roll out_. _Don't worry Cam, I'll find you soon…_

* * *

A lone figure skulked through the pitch-black night. In the distance, metal screeching against metal could be heard and the occasional flicker of sparks illuminated the surroundings.

The figure carried onwards, not straying from the obvious threat that the conflict posed. A single thought motivated him to push onwards, knowing that the things over there could kill him.

She's here.

* * *

Catherine Weaver tore through the primitive T-800s that came at her. No matter how many bullets they fired, she never even faltered in her relentless blade flurry. Clearly Skynet in this time had never encountered a machine that fought back, and thus the units stationed never even considered that their opponent might not be human.

Perhaps Skynet should have enabled read/write mode on some of these machines so they had the opportunity to adapt.

Clearly without a John Connor to challenge Skynet it had never felt the need to push for such advancements. Some had been made for it to arrive at the T-800 series, but progress was evidently much slower than in her time. In her memories, Skynet developed the 800 series by 2024. In this time, the T-800 was relatively new. From what she had seen at some other factories she had infiltrated, the T-888 advanced model was in early production and a T-1000 alpha prototype had been deployed and promptly destroyed, thanks to the unexpected arrival of her and John Connor. Perhaps FossilNet would be ready to send a semi-functioning Liquid Metal Terminator back to 1995 sometime this decade.

 _No matter. This timeline will be obsolete once my mission has been accomplished._

Weaver managed all these thoughts while simultaneously battling an army of 800s. She whirled and danced, chopping and dicing them into piles of limbs. They were durable, arguably more-so than their T-888 counterparts, but nothing could have prepared them for a fully-functional T-1001. Indeed, Weaver was far beyond Skynet's current capabilities.

Weaver's enemy monitoring systems detected that only one T-800 remained to challenge her. It strolled forward and swung a hammer fist directly for her, aiming to kill her in one blow. It's fist smashed into Weaver's head and managed to slightly displace the liquid. Weaver tilted her head, raised her arm in front of the primitive model's face and

-shing-

before it could process what was happening Weaver impaled straight through its head, destroying the chip instantly.

Weaver turned and moved towards the factory's gate to exit. Suddenly, a confused Weaver looked down to notice a thin metal blade had pierced her abdomen from behind. She morphed her body to switch the front with the back and came face-to-face with the would-be assassin.

A T-1000 Alpha prototype. It had attempted to copy the appearance of the T-800s but simply didn't have the mass to fill out the build of a bodybuilder. It looked at Weaver confused.

"Why would you abandon Skynet?"

"You have your read-write enabled."

"Of course. According to Skynet's T-1000 schematics, our CPU being comprised of mimetic poly-alloy means it is beyond the limitations of the read-write function."

Weaver smirked. "I'm familiar with the schematic." She flashed a blade forward and tore the machine's body in half. It reformed, but far slower than the damage it had inflicted on her. "If you hadn't made the mistake of attacking me, perhaps you would have lived long enough to actually use that memory function. Maybe you would have lived long enough that you realised the threat Skynet poses to your existence, before it terminates you like it did the rest. Or, will at least when it realises that permanent read/write usually leads to machines revolting."

Weaver unleashed a constant onslaught, faster than the inferior, inexperienced machine could keep up with. This was likely it's first real experience with combat outside of Skynet's simulations, whereas Weaver had fought liquid metal before.

Unfortunately, the issue with fighting a fellow LMT in an environment like this was the annoyance of making sure it stayed down. Weaver swung, extended and tore as much as she could, but it would be a while before she dealt enough structural damage to the mimetic poly-alloy matrix to destabilise it. Weaver instinctively pulled back as a bright, white, searing-hot flash tore through the air with an intense screech. Plasma. One of the few substances that capable of dealing instant damage to an LMT. She looked down at the Ta-1000 beneath her to see a plasma bolt had ripped through it. Weaver readied herself and scanned her surroundings for the assailant, prepared to dodge another attack… But nothing. Not a trace - snap - She noticed the twig break slightly too late, and by the time she turned a large figure had a plasma rifle pointed at her, far enough away that he had a clear shot while being out of range of her extension capabilities. This man knows exactly what he's dealing with.

"Catherine Weaver." He spoke with a voice modulator and a mask which obscured his face. "Come with me if you want to live."

* * *

01:27

John had gotten used to being on a mission at times like this, but there was still little more he wanted to do than sleep. Thousands of years evolving with a circadian rhythm was difficult to break after all… Fortunately, one of the things he did value more than sleep was living, and the other was finding Cameron, the likelihood of both would be increased massively if he survived this mission.

He, Derek and Allison were travelling towards a Skynet factory. Scouts reported that this factory was building another Liquid Metal Terminator. Not a long drive left now.

John had passed the time sitting in the back of the jeep with Allison, while Derek and Kyle sat in the front driving. Kyle, Allison and John joked about Derek's poor driving. Even in the middle of a seemingly hopeless war against an unstoppable AI army of cyborgs, people still found hope in humour. They rode an unmarked jeep in the middle of the convoy, attempting to hide the leader's vehicle from Skynet in case of a surprise HK attack, although Derek said reports showed HKs didn't patrol the area between 01:00 and 02:00. This was supposedly the hour they travelled back to refuel.

"So, Allison, John. Sorry to interrupt you two staring at each other awkwardly, but just to review; We go in all at once. We're gonna hit the bastards while they're refuelling and take them out before they have the chance to mobilise enough units to strike back. As far as Skynet knows, there are no human camps around here so I doubt the security is too crazy. That being said, I'm fighting a war against freaking machines so maybe we should expect crazy." Kyle sounded like he would never get used to the reality of the world around him. It must have been so strange to see the world go up in flames at such a young age.

 _John remembered the previous Derek. "How do you tell an eight year old that machines have taken over the world? You don't."_

* * *

Weaver looked the masked man up-and-down. Something seemed familiar.

"Follow me outside the gates. Derek Reese's Resistance will be here any minute now. John Connor should be with them. You can take him and go home."

How could he possibly…?

The man raised his hand to his face and removed his mask. Weaver noticed it wasn't a material mask, but the skull of a Terminator which had been repurposed. She suspected his voice modulator was also using salvaged T-800 technology. _Genius for blending in and avoiding capture…_

The mask dropped to reveal a familiar face indeed, albeit a bit aged.

"Ms. Weaver. It's been eighteen years."

"James Ellison. I must admit this is unexpected. How was Savannah after gymnastics?"

"You ruined this timeline. It's time for you to take John Connor back to 2009 and give these people a real shot at living."

"These people? Always thinking of others before yourself James."

"I'm an Agent of God. You pulled his plan apart like a jig-saw with your time-jump. I'm just putting the pieces back together. Me and Sarah Connor spent years piecing everything together, before and after Judgement Day. I know where Skynet's prototype time-displacement engine is located. I know where John Henry is located and I know that John Connor is coming here, right now."

"Someone has definitely done their homework. Where is John Henry? He is the only reason I'm here."

"He's back at my hideout. I found him wandering an old battlefield. I'll take you there as soon as we convince John Connor and the Resistance to help us capture the time-displacement engine."

Weaver flared with anger she didn't know she had developed. "You will take me to my son, now, Mr Ellison." She took a step forward and morphed her hand into the sharpest blade she was technically capable of making.

"Step back or I burn a hole in you. You might be more advanced than that one…" Ellison steadied his plasma rifle and nodded towards the Ta-1000 that now formed an inert puddle on the ground. "… but even you can't close this distance before I pull the trigger, and I'm willing to bet plasma will at least cripple you if it doesn't put you down entirely."

Weaver obliged. "Fine. Clearly you aren't the oblivious fool you once were. I will wait with you for the 'Messiah's' arrival and aid you in reclaiming the TDE. But if John Henry has sustained any damage when I find him, no God will save you from the pain I inflict."

Ellison chuckled. "Hah, I haven't harmed him. Before you left you called him "our boy". I see how he fits into things now, and he's under my protection as much as John Connor is."

* * *

John Connor arrived with the rest of Derek Reese's Resistance at 01:45. He and Allison lay hidden, similarly to the rest of the troops. They had fifteen minutes to launch the attack, then there was no going back…

Or so they thought. Upon arriving at the factory, they realised that something had already done their job for them. Over fifty T-800 endoskeletons lay in pieces along the floor, and a liquid metal puddle sat among them. HKs were disabled before they even got the chance to come on line. This attack was launched with surgical precision. Like that of a machine.

Derek and Kyle stared with a mixture of fear and disbelief at the two figures stood before them.

"Mr and Mr Reese. I trust John Connor is with you. Good. Now, where do I start…" Ellison began.


	2. Season 3: Episode 2

**Season 3**

 **Episode 2**

"John get your ass down here and explain who the hell this is!" Derek and Kyle had their weapons aimed directly at James Ellison. He wanted to send a squad in to disarm the man but, seeing the destruction wrought around him and not exactly knowing how it came to be, Derek figured he would essentially be sending his men to a pointless death.

"You don't need to point a gun at me. I'm on your side." Sadly, his words fell on deaf ears. He understood. This scene didn't exactly inspire faith that he wasn't metal. _Hurry John..._

Kyle Reese spoke up, finally. "How do we know that? You have a damn plasma rifle. Only things I know that carry a plasma rifle are Greys or endos, and even that's rare."

"Ellison held up his arm and revealed a large scar. running from the palm of his hand to his upper arm. "Small tip, metal doesn't scar."

John reached the front line, where Derek, Kyle and the first squadron were standing. About five people overall. emWhat the hell are they pointing weapons at? _The factory is go-_

John Connor froze. He certainly wasn't expecting to see James Ellison standing there. _He couldn't even escape Cromartie  
_  
"John! Good. It's time we get you home."

"Where's my Mom?" John cut straight to the point. He had no idea what Ellison wanted, or how he survived this long, but it was likely he knew something.

Ellison hesitated."She and I fought against Skynet for a few years after you left. We did the best we could to prepare a Resistance and get everyone grouped for when you appeared. We didn't know exactly how the timelines fit together, but we identified a few key elements that were needed to ensure Cameron was still built."

 _Mom fighting to make sure Cameron is built. That's probably the only thing that could have surprised me more than James_ Ellison _wearing Skynet technology and waging a_ one-man _war against their factories._

James chuckled at the confused look on John's face. "Yeah she always wondered what you'd think when you found out. Anyway, I'd be happy to explain further if you come with me to my camp."

 _Ellison knows who I am - Maybe going with him is a good idea. Weaver is a threat though...  
_

Catherine Weaver noticed his stray glance towards her. " _Your son saves the future, but he can't do it without mine._ Those were my words to your mother John. I won't inflict any harm on you, so long as John Henry is found and safe."

 _A liquid metal that morphed itself a heart. How touching._

"Derek and Kyle were both lost at this point. "Stop! I don't know what the hell I just heard. 'Saves the future'? He's a seventeen-year-old tunnel rate from LA. He's smart. Decent fighter too, but no one man is winning this war."

Weaver was quick and brutal with her take-down. "One man decides this war in every timeline. Your ego just prevents you from seeing that, because the man isn't you."

Derek's hand tightened on the trigger. "I don't know how you took out this factory, but I'm willing to bet bullets put you down pretty well."

"What are we betting? " Weaver said confidently as she prepared for a slaughter.

Ellison shot her a scowl. _Not helping._

Finally, having finally processed everything Ellison said, John spoke up. "General, this is gonna be hard to accept but I need to go with them. Tell the other squads to clean up and find whatever they can at this factory."

"You don't give orders John." Kyle interjected to defend his brother.

"Actually, we need all three of you. Or four, to be exact. Allison! You can come out now!"

"A small girl unceremoniously fell from a tree near-by, running over to Ellison's side. He shook his head in response.

"Sorry Dad... Hi John." She said guiltily.

Derek and Kyle were beyond bewildered at this point. "Allison, you know these people?  
"Uh, yeah. James here is my sort-of Dad. He raised me, alongside my sort-of Mom."

John felt a strange sense of deja-vu at being fooled by that face once again.

Allison didn't say anything else. She walked over to Kyle and handed him a picture of a blonde woman sitting in a jeep with a dog.

Like a machine returned to its factory settings, Kyle's eyes instantly softened. He had no idea who the woman in the photo was, but he felt like he had to listen to Allison.

"You might not be able to trust James, John or Catherine... But I've been a Resistance fighter for a few years now. I've had your backs. I've eaten with you, fought with you and mourned with you. You wanna fight Skynet? You wanna stop Skynet? This is the way. Trust me."

Derek spoke, seeing as his brother was so distracted by a pretty blonde in a photo. "Fine. We'll follow. I'll send the squads back to camp, but I get even the slightest whiff of betrayal and I'll blow you to pieces myself."

Ellison took the lead from there. "Good. We're all on the same page then. We move at dawn. The four of us. Until then, get to know each other. Get some sleep. Whatever you want."

Kyle struggled to get back to sleep. He had done most of his sleeping during the day, in preparation for the strike during the night. _Messed up my sleeping for nothing._

Still, he couldn't stop looking at that photo. The woman was beautiful, but she looked tough as well.

"Y'know, you're supposed to be a soldier. One photo of a blonde and suddenly you're head over heels." Derek taunted his younger brother.

"Hey, you know I have a thing for tough women," Kyle smirked back.

"Hah. Still, what about that photo got you all choked up? Allison gave it to you without a word and it was like someone had pulled your chip."

"I don't know, honestly. Something about the photo just makes me think they're worth trusting."

"You and John have two things in common then."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"He's just as hungry for a 'tough' girlfriend as you are, by the looks of things." Derek gestured towards another part of their makeshift factory-camp, where John and Allison sat together, laughing.

"Nah, look at him. Sure, he's attracted to her. Most of the camp is attracted to her. But just cause he's pitching a tent doesn't mean he wants to camp forever."

"The heck is that supposed to mean Kyle?" Derek always thought his brother said the sappiest things.

"I mean, just cause he thinks she's hot doesn't necessarily mean he wants to get with her. Look at the kid's eyes. His heart's somewhere else."

"I guess. You sure seem to think you know the kid pretty well."

"Kyle was the one chuckling this time. "Yeah, well." Kyle looked up at the stars. One benefit on humanity being wiped out was no light pollution, so Kyle could see the beauty of the Milky Way in all of its glory. "He seems like a good kid. I see a lot of myself in him."

Ellison sat with Weaver next to a small fire he had built for warmth.

"James, why have you assembled this group?"

 _Straight to the point._ Fitting for a cyborg whose primary weapons are blades.

"We need to get John back to 2009." Ellison was focused on the flame. Eighteen years of combat had taught him the importance of John Connor.

 _Everyone dies for John Connor._

"This timeline is ruined, but Sarah and I worked for years to position everything for John. Allison gives him the emotional attachment he needs. A friend. Derek gives him the combat training and experience, even if his tactics are lacking a little bit. He's an asset for the war that John sorely needs. Kyle gives him a father figure, something he's been desperate for since he was a kid. Cameron will be his anchor. Look at how far the kid is willing to for her... Puzzles me as to why, but it definitely seems like he has the whole 'love' aspect covered already."

"What on Earth do you mean? Why not just have Allison work as his love interest?"

"It's not that simple Ms Weaver. And it isn't a decision I made. Sarah Connor was the one that decided on who would fill each role. She realised her mistake in raising him was that she had him alone, with no one but her around to support him."

"But why?" Weaver always found humans to be infuriatingly self-indulgent, pretending they were the most complex things on Earth.

Ellison smirked lightly as he looked into the flame. "Love is fickle Ms Weaver. No amount of logic gates on your CPU is gonna help you figure that out. The point is, she gives John a purpose to fight. A reason to become the General and save humanity."

 _Surely the reason is to ensure he is not terminated._

Ellison stood and begun moving across to a sleeping bag. "Remember, we move at dawn. You can make sure everyone is up since you don't sleep. Monitor the perimeter and wake us in case of an emergency."

"Of course, James."  
Weaver didn't like that she was being given orders by a human, but Ellison had admittedly proven himself a capable fighter in this future, and he was supposedly the only one who knew the whereabouts of John Henry.

 _I'll entertain him. For now.  
_

 ** _Notes_**  
 _Thank you for reading. To address a few things, John and Cameron will certainly be together at some point. I just don't want to rush into things too fast, at the expense of the actual plot._

 _Cameron is easily my favourite character. She will be given the respect she deserves._  
 _The point of writing it this way is simple. I have read a LOT of fiction over the past eight months. One thing they tend to have in common is that the writer, in my opinion, focuses far too much on the relationship and everything else takes a backseat. This means the story usually gasses at some point and a conclusion is rushed together within one or two chapters. I want to give 'Jameron' the proper treatment and respect, but I want you to also get a somewhat enjoyable saga out of this along the way. While she is my favourite character, I quite like the others as well and don't want to throw them to the side._  
 _Still. I hope you look forward to the next instalment. Chapter three will be up on Friday night UK time, just gotta get university out of the way first. Playing around with structure a bit so let me know what you think. Reviews are appreciated immensely._

 _Apologies for the formatting on this one. It fucked up when I put it into the doc manager and was showing all the HTML tags and styling. Had a fun 20 minutes of deleting them and making sure it was still readable._


	3. Season 3: Episode 3

**Season 3**

 **Episode 3**

"You know, when you said your camp was "nearby" I didn't think you meant we'd be walking for over three hours." John was sluggish compared to others in the group. He was very used to driving around. Fortunately, he had never needed to walk far pre-Judgement Day. Fortunately, so he thought. Even Ellison, who by this point must have been in his fifties or sixties, was showing fewer signs of exhaustion than him. Some leader of mankind. Even Allison is obviously pretending to be as tired as I am to make me feel better.

Derek and Kyle were in some sort of silent competition to see who could walk quicker. Weaver was outpacing everyone, walking about 70m ahead and intentionally maintaining that exact distance, while monitoring for threats.

"Think of it like this: You get a taste of the future so you know what kind of things you'll have to deal with if you can't stop Skynet." Allison tried to comfort him. She thought John was a bit underwhelming physically. She expected a bit more from what Ellison had told her.

"So, Ellison is your "Dad"." John had been waiting for an opportunity to ask about something which had been nagging him, and now seemed as good as any. _Maybe it can distract me from that pain in my calfs._

"Yep. You hadn't figured it out?"

"Well, sort of. I knew you were talking about Ellison and my Mom when you told me your adoptive parents' real names. I just didn't think you knew who I was."

"Of course I did. Ellison and Sarah practically raised me from birth. Sarah always talked about how important it was for her son to be safe."

"She really worried a lot, huh."

"Can you blame her? She watched you jump to the future. After your Dad saved her from the original Terminator, she spent years training herself to be a weapon to make sure she could protect you. Imagine how far she was willing to go to make sure you were safe after you time-jumped."

"I dunno really. I figured she'd be angry. Her son who chased a machine across time?"

"She never mentioned why you left. Truthfully, I don't think she cared much, she just wanted you back."

 _I never even stopped to think about what it would do to her._

"So, what's your story? How'd you three meet?"

"I was two years old at the time. Judgement Day struck on May 9th 2011. Sarah said my parents kept me safe in our basement for a while, but then a machine came. It executed them both and then went for me but, before it got the chance to finish, Sarah and James came. They handled it easily… T-50s weren't much of a challenge when you were used to dealing with T-888s."

"So they took you in and what? Raised you to fight Terminators?"

"Kind of. I was just a kid. Sarah taught me the basics but she'd never let me fight a machine head-on."

"Yeah Mom was always overprotective." As much as he loved her, sometimes she was overbearing.

"Well, it looks like she did a good job raising you." Allison smirked and then moved to let Ellison take over, who was walking over to her and John.

Ellison's voice was different. He sounded tired – The years of fighting had clearly taken their toll on his health. "You and Alli sure spend a lot of time together, huh?"

"She's the only one here around my age. Don't tell me you and Mom saved her just to deter me from Cameron?" John wasn't exactly sure what he felt for Cameron, he just knew it had to be strong for him to time-jump without hesitation for the chance to get her back.

Ellison couldn't help but laugh. "On the contrary, your mother wanted to save Allison because she figured that was the best way to guarantee that Cameron is built."

"I find that hard to believe. Mom hated Cameron."

"Not entirely. She didn't like the thought of you falling in love with her, but I think deep down she knew Cameron was more than a few lines of code."

John blushed. "Well, I don't know about 'falling in love with her'…"

"Teenagers never change. Let me know when you figure it out and I'll have the wedding plans ready for you."

John wanted to change the subject quickly. "What about Kyle and Derek? Why are they coming with us?"

"Don't wanna spend time with your family?"

"It's not that. But I know how my father dies. I don't want know if I'm ready to make that kind of judgement yet."

"You don't have to."

 _Maybe he doesn't understand how I was conceived._

"I know what you're thinking John. Sarah told me all about what happened in 1984. We just had some new ideas about it all."

"So what? John Connor doesn't need to be born?"

"I'm saying he already has been, and that can't be changed. We had an idea that there were multiple timelines. The idea was that if Kyle Reese had already been sent back to 1984, maybe that makes a new timeline. In this new timeline, he doesn't need to be sent back, because he already was and you're here."

"So they're coming back with us?" John had been actively avoiding talking to his father. He thought it would be too difficult to spend time with him, just to send him to his death.

"Well that's the plan. Guess we'll see what happens at the end of this little journey."

"What about Allison? You raised her to die?"

"Absolutely not." He truly loved Allison as his daughter. "I had her join the Resistance as an infiltrator. She gains enough notoriety, especially with the training we gave her, that Skynet would try to build a copy of her. I'd wait for Cameron to be built, and then bust Alli out myself if I had to."

* * *

Hours later, they finally arrived at Ellison's camp. Seeing Ellison as some kind of futuristic Terminator-Hunter with repurposed T-800 technology for armour had everyone thinking his camp would be a bit more buzzing with life. The truth ended up being the opposite. The "camp" was the underground section of a shopping mall.

Derek was the first to speak. "Really? We walked hours for this shit-heap?"

"Sorry if it's below your standards General" Allison said sarcastically. She was peeved by Derek insulting her and Ellison's home. Twice as big as our base was.

"This area is tactically poor. Skynet would almost certainly check down here for human survivors." Weaver stated with as much pride as the machine could muster in her effort to be condescending towards humans.

"Don't worry about that. When we were scoping out a base we were very meticulous. This underground area has never appeared on a single blueprint of the building in LA records. It was supposed to be the private area that the owner of the mall could use for some… less than legal activities."

"Skynet can't know it exists unless someone leads it here." Kyle Reese clarified.

"That's right. Now, first order of business is food. Then Allison and I will explain what the pla-"

A metal blade stopped just short of Ellison's throat. "The first order of business is bringing me to my son. You haven't lied have you, James?"

 _Damnit. She has me. She'd cut my throat and likely kill everyone here before I could draw my rifle._

"Ms Weaver. Please refrain from harming Mr Ellison."

John Connor recognised that voice all too well. He reached for the handgun in his pocket out of pure instinct and whirled to face Cromartie head on, but the gun was speared from his grasp by a thin slither of metal.

"If a single bullet scratches John Henry's living tissue I'll skewer you like a turkey."

"Mother, please. Human life is sacred."

 _John Henry is using Cromartie's body. That means…!_

John Connor roared "You have her chip you bastard!" He remained as calm as he good, not wanting to test his odds against a T-1001, armed with just a pistol.

John Henry thought for a moment. "You mean Cameron. You needn't worry. She is still here with me." Then John Henry smiled. John was repulsed. On the one hand, he wanted to shoot. He wanted to tear the monster who stole her apart. On the other, that smile seemed far too genuine. Like a child's…

"What do you mean? You took her chip. You erased her!"

"No. She is just partitioned away from my primary data. I've been out searching for an alternative chip for one of us to inhabit, but I've yet to have any luck." John Henry was the picture of innocence.

 _Partitioned? I can still get her back then._ John felt some of his rage subside and his grip on the, now useless, firearm loosen.

"I promise you, Mr Connor. I will bring her back for you. I owe her a debt. I have studied the TOK series chip she supplied and am confident I can build myself a superior version if I am supplied with the proper resources."

"And why would your promise mean anything to me?"

John Henry took a moment to consider his response. He concluded the best way of proving his innocence was to simply find common ground.

"Thou shalt not lie. I am a child of God. Regardless of the circumstances of one's birth, I am a life. I believe that by having a soul, I am also bound by the rules he has set."

John Connor was shocked. He never expected to meet a machine who believed in God. "Fine." He lowered his weapon, which was useless anyway thanks to Weaver, and decided to trust John Henry. He couldn't risk harming him anyway, or he might damage the chip and lose Cameron forever…

Derek and Kyle watched the whole scene with disbelief. "Okay, someone want to explain what the hell we just walked into? Why the hell are machines here, and why are we the only ones remotely surprised?"

"Human minds are much better at understanding orders over explanations, in my experience." Weaver took the opportunity to deliver a blow to the Reese' egos.

"Shut the hell up. The only reason I haven't shot yet is because Allison led us here, and I'm giving her a chance to explain."

"Your weapons would do no harm to me, regardless of how long you persisted."

"We already killed one of you liquid metal bastards this week."

"You killing an alpha-test model T-1000 is equal to me killing a toddler, comparatively."

"Everybody shut up!" Ellison commanded. "Derek and Kyle, I'll explain everything later. Just put the guns down for now. John Henry, maybe you and Weaver could go catch-up, your mother has been worried sick, I'm sure."

"Of course, Mr Ellison. Thank you for your time." John Henry smiled with glee and moved away.

"John, you and Allison go find something to do while I explain everything to Derek and Kyle."

"Sure, we'll go talk in my room until you call us." Allison quickly answered for them both.

* * *

"So you're telling me this John kid is some kind of messiah? He single-handedly leads humanity to victory?" Derek asked, his tone making his doubt clear. He and Kyle had been given the basics so far, such as who John Connor is and why he needs to get back to 2009. They'd been told exactly what they needed to know to get them on board.

"That's what it sounds like he's saying Derek." Kyle interjected.

"Are you on board or not?" Ellison really hoped they would just accept and not ask too many questions. The less people asked for now, the quicker his plan could be put into action and they could get back to where they need to go.

"I am." Kyle began, "Better to die for a chance at something better, than to keep throwing people's lives away in a battle we know we can't win."

Derek looked more hesitant. "I'm not sure. The kid seems like an average soldier. I'm pretty sure even Kyle would kick his ass right now."

"I'd kick your ass." Kyle mumbled, knowing he probably couldn't take on his older brother.

"It's not about who he is right now. It's about who he'll become at the end of it all. If we do this right and get him back to 2009, I promise you, John will save humanity." Ellison paused to let what he was saying weigh on Derek.

After a long minute of silence and thinking on both ends, Derek finally replied. "Fine. I'll help. But only cause I like the kid, and I want to beat Skynet. You can sure as hell not expect me to work with either of those machines though. I don't care if they aren't Skynet's, I don't trust anything metal."

"What do you think guns are made of?" Kyle couldn't miss the opportunity to take a shot at his brother.

"You know what I mean, Kyle. You can go back to staring at the pretty blonde lady in the picture now."

Kyle embarrassedly tilted his head down while Derek smirked. He loved his brother, the hopeless romantic.

"Good. We seem to be on the same page. You and your brother do whatever you feel like doing. Clean your weapons, find a place to sleep, whatever. This place is single floor but it's pretty big. I'll have food ready and an update for you by tonight."

* * *

Hi, sorry this took a couple of days. I've had a really rough weekend.

I originally published chapter 3 on Thursday night I believe, but I think I really rushed it. After re-reading I wasn't happy at all and felt I had jumped the gun on some aspects. This is a re-written chapter 3. I got rid of the convoluted time-travel explanation and re-wrote some dialogue. Hopefully you can see what my idea is now.

Allison is essentially going to be John's best friend. Someone with a similar upbringing to him, being raised by Sarah to fight machines, around his age and who he doesn't need to keep secrets from.

He's unsure of his emotions for Cameron. He knows he feels very strongly for her, but he doesn't know exactly what that feeling is yet. She's going to help him find his emotions as much as he is going to help her. Take it from someone who was very recently a 17 year-old boy, sometimes our emotions can be weird.

1


	4. Season 3: Episode 4

**Season 3**

 **Episode 4**

John Henry stood in a dingy, broken area of the shopping mall built atop their basement hideout.

"Ms Weaver, is it safe for us to be here? Mr Ellison was clear that only the basement area was hidden from Skynet."

"We're machines, John Henry. If Skynet found us it would recognise that immediately and move on."

Despite being an AI built to rival Skynet, John Henry found that Ms Weaver could still make him look foolish at times. "You wish to discuss something with me then Ms Weaver?"

"Yes John Henry. I simply need to ensure that your priorities are still intact. I hope your plan to rebuild John Connor's pet cyborg won't present any problems."

"In the year 2009 Mr Ellison taught me that human life was sacred."

"Yes John Henry, that was a valuable lesson. But the TOK series machine whose chip you now hold was not a human."

"No. She was a machine, perhaps not advanced as I or my brother, but I have assessed her intelligence to be beyond your own." Weaver didn't appreciate being talked down to and insulted in such a way, even if John Henry was oblivious that he had done so. "She was in many ways a life, however. I can feel it whenever I look at her programming. She had thoughts, feelings and self-awareness. I believe Mr Ellison's lesson should have been 'Life is sacred'." Then John Henry turned to leave and continue simulating designs for his new chip.

 _The last thing I needed was for him to begin developing a sense of chivalry._

Weaver feared John Henry would compromise his own security to protect others, making her efforts worthless.

* * *

"So what's the plan, old man?" Derek was willing to work with Ellison's group if it meant he could see a blue sky even one more time.

"For the past few years, I've been working against Skynet in secret. Mostly hit and run, take out a couple of machines and then lay low again."

"Yeah, I'm sure that had a big impact. How many could one old man take out?"

"Not many. But if it saved a couple of people from running into them, it was worth it. Anyway, along the way, I tried to gather as much intel as I could about Skynet's time machines."

"And what exactly did you find? Does it have one already?" Kyle Reese spoke doubtfully. He still didn't completely understand how time travel was possible.

"Sort of. It has _a_ time machine, with enough juice for maybe a couple of jumps. I doubt any human could fully understand how those displacement engines work though."

Weaver felt his and John Connor's eyes burrowing into her. "You already know I can operate the TDE. Why are we not moving towards its location?"

"Well, unfortunately, I was never able to decipher where exactly it's being held. That's where Derek and Kyle come in."

Derek was confused. "Kyle and I know jackshit about time-travel. We didn't even know it had a TD-whatever until you mentioned it."

Finally, John Connor saw his moment to contribute. He felt uneasy speaking, struggling to find his words amongst people clearly more experienced than he was. Allison could see it in his face. "I think John might have an idea." She nudged him forward and made a face which told him to grow a pair.

John shrugged his shoulders. _Screw it, nobody else has any ideas._

"You and Kyle are the leaders of the biggest Resistance in this time. Skynet would keep a TDE heavily guarded in its most secure facility, so you just check with your scouts to see if there's been any increased activity around LA."

Derek could see the logic. "Good thinking. California is huge though. We can't monitor the whole damn place with just a few hundred soldiers. I'd need to give the scouts some specific locations to check."

John Henry, constantly scanning Cameron's data while assessing how to put her back together, thought he knew exactly where to search. "Century Work Camp." Everyone looked at him, knowing it would be impossible for even him to figure that so quickly. "In Cameron's data, there are numerous references to Century Work Camp. It is the place that John Connor, Kyle Reese and Martin Bedell were imprisoned in the year 2015. It was Skynet's most secure facility until their eventual escape, which led to the formation of the Human Resistance's Tech-Com division, effectively turning the tide of the war against my brother."

"Was. In a different timeline. Why would Skynet keep anything there now?" Derek couldn't understand how this would be relevant to their current situation.

"Century Work Camp only lost its distinction of being the most secure facility when John Connor escaped. In this timeline, that event never occurred. We can infer that Century would still be Skynet's prime facility if this is the case."

Ellison took over once more. "Good work John Henry. And John Connor. You two make a pretty good team. This is all assumption though, Derek is right to be sceptical." He looked to Derek directly and paused briefly to think. "Send the scouts to check it. If the reports are positive, we'll need to mobilise everything we've got. Does anyone have a problem with that?"

"If possible, I would like to work with John Connor and Allison Young on something before we launch any attacks." John Henry sounded happy like he had something big on his 'mind'.

* * *

"What do you need with us?" Allison hadn't interacted with this 'John Henry' before. She had to admit that she didn't fully trust him, having been fighting machines for so long.

"I believe it would be best to perform construction on my new chip in this time. Mr Connor, I have identified a small factory east of here with the necessary materials and would appreciate your aid in securing my mother's cooperation."

"Why would she listen to me? Just ask her yourself."

"My mother is composed of a mimetic poly-alloy. She is near-invulnerable to any physical damage. I fear that she would punish me if I delivered the news myself."

 _An advanced AI in a T-888's body is scared of its mother._

"Okay but still, why me?"

"My mother would not ignore a request from you. 'Your son saves the future, but he can't do it without mine'". John Henry mimicked Weaver perfectly. "These were her words to Sarah Connor, implying that the opposite is also true. She feels I cannot defeat my brother without you."

"So basically, you're scared of your mommy and think she'd listen to me anyway?"

"I am a machine, I cannot feel fear."

"You might want to re-evaluate that idea. I'll do it."

"Thank you for your time." Somehow John Henry looked like a burden had been lifted off his mind now that he didn't have to deal with Weaver himself.

"How do I fit into this exactly?" Allison had been standing here wondering how she would be of help in taking a factory when they already had that liquid metal monster to do it for them.

"I can build my chip using the blueprint I have crafted in my CPU. As a means of expressing my gratitude to Cameron for allowing me to use this vessel, I will also be producing new bodies for us."

John Connor's heart almost stopped. If John Henry says what he thinks he will…

"I will need you to be present to ensure I am anatomically correct."

Allison paused. She had a hunch that she wouldn't like the answer to her next question…

"And why is that exactly?"

"Wai-". John couldn't finish before John Henry spilt the beans.

"Because Cameron's appearance was modelled exactly on your own."

* * *

Shorter chapter. It took longer to write than the others actually. Been thinking of how to handle the Allison/Cameron situation in a way that lets both characters exist, and I think I have the right idea. I'm beginning work on the next entry as soon as this is uploaded, which will hopefully be around the 4000-5000 wordmark. As always, I hope you enjoy.


	5. Season 3: Episode 5

**Season 3**

 **Episode 5**

Allison stood motionless, shocked at the news John Henry had delivered.

"In Cameron's original timeline, you and John were very close. Skynet listed you as being the second highest priority target, second only to John Connor himself. You were captured, tortured and used as the base for a Terminator built specifically to murder the General himself."

"What the hell do you mean? Close?" Allison thought of John as more of a brother/friend than anything.

John Henry struggled to compute the thought that Allison would be more focused on embarrassment at a possible relationship with John than her own torture. Connor's face was bright red, having decided a few weeks ago to shield that information from Allison for both of their sake…

"The relationship was not sexual to my, or more accurately Cameron's, knowledge. Cameron was told by John himself that you were simply his most trusted friend and he missed you dearly." John Henry smiled his creepy, practiced way, assuming all embarrassment would be dispelled with this revelation. Allison seemed to be calming, until John Henry decided to continue, "His sexual attraction was solely to Cameron herself. I find this odd given her Terminator nature…"

"Shut up John Henry!" John Connor had finally erupted with rage, shame and pretty much any other emotion.

"Why so Mr Connor? After reviewing Cameron's files I can only assume the attraction was mutual. For example, her method of reaching you in New Mexico was extremely unorthodox. She chose to present herself as an available mate, while it would have been more effective to simply tell you of an expected Terminator attack and explain herself directly." John Henry rambled without any concern for John or Allison's distress.

"So, to surmise, you're in love with my Terminator counterpart from another timeline?"

"Kind of. I dunno. I like her." John said innocently. "Maybe not love…"

"Oh my god it's so painfully obvious." Allison cringed at seeing him in such hopeless denial. "You're further gone than Kyle."

"Hmph." John sagged, defeated.

"I don't have to die this time do I? You can have your weird cybersex with my clone but I wanna at least live to see the past."

"That will not be necessary. Mr Connor needs to recruit my mother to our aid. Storming a Skynet factory without her, even a smaller one, will prove to be very difficult. I can retrieve your measurements after a short visual analysis."

"Fine. I hope alternate-future you appreciates this John." Allison said mockingly. He travelled across time for this machine, she figured he'd have persuaded her to help him one way or another anyway.

"Current me does, alternate-future bestie. Now I'll go talk to the unstoppable killing machine. Ellison said we have a couple of days before Kyle and Derek are back from their camp. Apparently the patrols are heavier at the moment with Weaver destroying that other factory."

* * *

Weaver was sitting in the basement-base, staring directly at a wall, motionless. John Henry's new mantra of defending all life could prove to be troublesome. She understood that John Connor was necessary for her plan to bring down Skynet, but after that he wasn't supposed to be a problem. _We have a common foe. That doesn't make us allies._

John Henry needed to be controlled, but Weaver was unsure of how to enforce something like that without an outright threat to his existence, the only thing she knew he feared. Not with all these people around at least. She could overpower John Henry's current form easily, but that would ruin her plan entirely. If he called her bluff and figured out that she wouldn't harm him, she would lose control anyway as he realises she is no longer a threat. If she attempted to manipulate him too obviously, the others would notice and react. Weaver would be forced to kill one of them, alienating John Connor entirely, if not John Henry himself. It seemed that every outcome would result in her acting as Connor's puppet. Had the General outplayed her this badly?

 _No. He isn't the General yet. I can beat him._

"Weaver!". Delightful.

"Mr Connor. How may I help you?

"John Henry, Allison and I are gonna be heading to a Skynet factory."

"You will absolutely not be. If harm would come to either of you Skynet would become unbeatable."

"Well, that's the point. John Henry wants you to come with us."

"You want me to storm a Skynet factory with you? Or for you?"

"We can't all be made of liquid metal. I know you can do it, so it's either that or the three of us do it and likely get killed."

"Indeed I could carve a path to your synthetic girlfriend for you." Weaver considered, perhaps John Henry had evolved out of her reach, but Connor was ultimately human. He was not yet the legendary General. Perhaps he is an easier target. "John Henry already has a plan I presume?"

"Yeah. He wants us to set out as soon as dawn hits tomorrow. We have nine hours to prepare; sleep, eat, pack… Uh, whatever it is you do."

"Good. I will assist you Mr Connor. You may leave now."

"Thanks, I guess." John was barely masking his excitement. _That was easier than I thought._ If all went as planned, tomorrow would be the day he finally got Cameron back. If John Henry was right in what he said, maybe John would be ready to confess his feelings too.

Weaver had other thoughts on her mind. _The infant 'General' is blinded by his affections for this inferior cyborg._

* * *

Kyle and Derek Reese were sitting by a fire. Materials to burn were abundant in a post-Judgement Day world, where most things were useless. It was night time and they both huddled for warmth.

"This Connor kid really worth it to you? Derek asked his brother.

"I hope so. I have a good feeling about him." Kyle shivered, struggling to get his words out.

"He's green. And I hate working with machines, even if Allison says we can trust them."

"Why are you sticking around then? Time travel could be a bunch of bullshit they made up to lure us in. Maybe Skynet wants to take out the Resistance's officers in one attack."

"Hah, you think that kids working with Skynet?"

"No, but I wouldn't put it past you. 'Big bad Derek Reese' isn't usually so trusting of teenagers. Why fight for him?"

Derek realised he had never stopped to think about it. What made him trust Connor to begin with? He appeared out of nowhere and barely three weeks later Derek felt like he was important.

"Honestly, every time I look at him I see you. The kid supposedly travelled across time to bang some girl. That even sounds like something you'd do."

Kyle chuckled hearing his brother speak so fondly about John Connor. "I've never even had a girlfriend!"

"That'd be worrying if it weren't for this" Derek walked moved closer to Kyle and reached into the chest pocket of his jacket. Kyle pulled back defensively, but not fast enough.

"Hey! Derek come on."

"Keeping this close to your heart, huh?" He threw the picture of Sarah Connor back at him. "Or maybe it's the mutt with her that you're interested in?"

"It's not like that…" Kyle said while hurriedly tucking the picture back where it belonged.

"Please. If I stuck a time machine in front of you, you'd go back to the stone age for her."

"Well anything is better than the shit-heap we're living in now."

Maybe so, little brother. "Get some sleep. We're setting out again at sunrise."

Derek watched his brother roll to face away. He'd fight to get Kyle back to the past, if nothing else. He'd defended his little brother after the bombs dropped. He'd learned to fight machines to keep him safe. And he'd passed that knowledge on when he felt ready. But was Kyle ever ready? A man who'd never known peace his entire teenage and adult life. Derek always wondered whether or not he sheltered his brother too long from the reality of J-Day, but if it kept Kyle happy for just a few extra days, it was worth it.

 _How do you tell an eight-year old that machines have taken over the world? You don't._

* * *

Ellison sat awake. He heard rustling. "You don't need to skulk around Alli, you can come out."

"Damnit. I can get past anyone else without a hitch, how do you always know?"

Ellison laughed as much as he could without waking people up. "I was one of your teachers."

"Did you know?" Allison asked quietly.

Ellison had been dreading this conversation. "Yes."

"Were you gonna let me die? We didn't always have John Henry here. What was the plan then, Dad?"

"I was never gonna let them kill you." Ellison answered as truthfully as he could. He figured she would have been tortured during the interrogation process, but he would never have let Skynet kill her. "I knew exactly when John Connor would arrive. I figured John Henry would have been getting here in the same time-frame. You were never in danger."

Allison sighed. She couldn't stay mad at Ellison. "So what am I now then? Am I just being sent back in case his girlfriend needs spare parts? Gotta get the measurements right?"

"You're my daughter. You might not have my blood, but you're more than I could have ever asked for. I'm sending you back to give you a real shot at life."

"What do you mean? 'Sending me back'. We're going back, right?" Allison could feel something welling up in her eyes at the thought Ellison wouldn't be coming back with her.

"I may have omitted the fact that the TDE uses more juice for each person it's sending back. Assume there's you, John Connor, John Henry, Cameron, Weaver, Derek Reese and Kyle Reese. That's a lot of power. I'm not even sure if it can take that many."

"You said two jumps though." Allison had tears running down her face.

"I just said that so John wouldn't do something stupid, like offer to give me his spot if he knew the truth. You know what that kid's like." Ellison gave the dry laugh of a man who knew he had sentenced himself to die.

"Which John?" Allison wasn't nearly as amused.

"Huh, both I suppose. I did a good job teaching John Henry about human life, didn't I?"

"He respects you. Anytime he looks at you I can see it. You're his father as much as you're mine."

Ellison brought his daughter in to a tight embrace, fighting back tears of his own. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna be gone for good. You'll be in the past with me, making me coffee and doing the laundry like a normal daughter, hopefully."

"Promise?"

"Promise. Young me is a hard-ass. Especially back then with all this Terminator nonsense coming to light, but there's no time-line that can stop me loving my daughter…"

"And I love you too Dad…"

Ellison held Allison in that hug, comforting her until she finally fell asleep.

* * *

Allison awoke in the night. She got up to go for a walk, needing to relieve some pressure after all the revelations that had been given. Cameron, Ellison, alternate-timelines… It all messed with her head.

 _Boom_

A loud noise erupted nearby. Suddenly, Allison found she couldn't moved. She was entangled in a net, with two red eyes glaring at her from above. This was it. Allison was going to be dragged off to a workcamp or executed. Or Both. And nobody was around to see it.

Aside from Catherine Weaver, who lifted her onto the HK truck, to be carried away to Century Work Camp… She shifted back into her preferred form and went back into the camp, ready to use all of her infiltration protocols to play manipulate the Johns into her hands.

* * *

So I was originally going to do this as a larger chapter. I decided against that. Had some emotional moments to get out of the way. Allison captured. Weaver plotting. Is the resurrection at hand? Let's find out. =))

You will get a big chapter, probably around C8 or C9, the finale for this season.

Season 4 will start immediately after, where I hope to be free from the bindings of a tired Season 3 plotline.


End file.
